Crystal Lake

By Diana L. Kenney and Crystal Lake Historical Society

Since 1835, when Ziba Beardsley declared, "The water is as clear as crystal," generations of people have enjoyed the area's spring-fed lake. The pages of this book take readers on a trip back through time to learn more about the twin towns of Nunda and Crystal Lake and their eventual union. Meet some of Crystal Lake's first settlers, as well as those who came later, and discover how they shaped the community. See photographs and descriptions of summer resorts, country clubs, parks, schools, and churches. Trace the development of both Virginia Street and the historic downtown district through vintage street scenes. Some of the buildings shown in Crystal Lake were removed long ago, yet others are still standing to serve as silent reminders of the community's rich and proud heritage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 28, 2009
• ISBN: 9781439620960

Diana L. Kenney

Diana L. Kenney is president and cofounder of the Crystal Lake Historical Society. Her interest and passion for local history and historic architecture has made her a strong advocate for historic preservation. Using vintage postcards, Kenney creates a visual history of Crystal Lake that illustrates how the city truly lives up to its motto, A good place to live.

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INTRODUCTION

The city of Crystal Lake traces its roots to two separate and distinct communities that were both established in the 1800s. These communities were generally known as Crystal Lake and Nunda.

Prior to the establishment of these two communities, the earliest inhabitants of McHenry County were the Sauk (Sac) and Fox Indian tribes. Chief Blackhawk was an appointed war chief of the Sauk Indians. During the War of 1812, Blackhawk fought on the side of the British. At the end of the war, Blackhawk signed a peace treaty, reaffirming an earlier Native American one, which agreed to cede the land to the federal government and force all Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi River. Blackhawk later claimed he was unaware of all provisions in the treaty and began to mount a series of attacks to reclaim the lands of northern Illinois. After numerous skirmishes, battles, and massacres, Blackhawk was captured in 1832. The 1833 Treaty of Chicago ended the war and effectively removed the remaining Native Americans west of the Mississippi River.

The first settlers arrived in McHenr y County in 1834. The county is named for Maj. William McHenry, an officer in the Blackhawk War. In 1836, the Illinois state legislature approved the establishment of McHenry County. The original county stretched east to Lake Michigan. The town of McHenry was declared the county seat, as it was near the geographical center of the county. Three years later, the county was divided into the two separate counties known today as Lake and McHenry. The McHenry County seat was later moved to Woodstock.

In 1835, several generations of the Beardsley family traveled together from New York State to McHenry County. They stopped briefly near the lake, where Ziba Beardsley is credited with saying, the waters are as clear as crystal, thereby giving the lake its name. The Beardsley family did not stay but continued south to Naperville. When they returned to Crystal Lake in 1836, they found that Beman Crandall and his family had already established a home and were credited as the first settlers of Crystal Lake.

In February 1836, Beman and Polly Crandall and 6 of their 10 children came from New York State and traveled to Crystal Lake in a covered wagon. The family lived in the covered wagon and a three-sided shelter for a time until a log cabin could be built. Their original cabin was built in the vicinity of today’s intersection of Virginia Street and Van Buren Street. Four of the Crandall children were born there.

The town was first known as Crystal Ville, and then the name was officially changed to Crystal Lake. In 1837, the first plat of the village of Crystal Lake was surveyed and drawn showing seven streets and 12 city blocks, including one block set aside as a public square (city park). This plat was accepted by the McHenry County commissioners in 1840. The main business district for the village of Crystal Lake was located on Virginia Street, formerly an old Native American trail.

Soon more settlers arrived in the area. They were mostly hardworking farmers and their families who traveled by covered wagon from places such as New York and Virginia. Once here, they could purchase an 80-acre section of land at a price of $1.25 an acre. These farmers were the backbone of McHenry County.

The 1840 census shows 2,578 individuals lived in all of McHenry County. Besides Crandall, some other prominent Crystal Lake family names in 1840 include Baldwin, Beardsley, Douglass, Dufield, Duffy, Fitch, King, Lamphier, Peck, and Wallace.

Here are a few Crystal Lake firsts: Beman Crandall was the first postmaster and first justice of the peace; William Beardsley was the first white child born (1837); Hannah Beardsley was the first schoolteacher (1838), and her marriage to Franklin Wallace was the first one recorded in Algonquin Township (1840); the first hotel in Crystal Lake was built by Lyman King; the first public burying ground in Crystal Lake (and Algonquin Township) was the Crystal Lake Cemetery (1840), which is now known as the Lake Avenue Cemetery; the first burial in the cemetery was that of Ella King.

The area known today as downtown Crystal Lake was first called Dearborn and then Nunda. The village of Dearborn came into existence in the mid-1850s after the railroads extended their lines through the area. In 1856, the first train depot was established. This depot was prefabricated and shipped from Chicago on a flatcar. Although the depot was located near Dearborn, it was called the Crystal Lake station.

The railroad served to connect the people and industries of both Crystal Lake and Dearborn to Chicago and the rest of the county. Because of its proximity to the railroad, Dearborn’s population and business district quickly grew.

On October 7, 1868, Dearborn’s name was changed to Nunda after an area in New York from which many settlers had come. The village of Nunda was platted in 1868 by local surveyor John Brink. The village included the area now generally bounded by Route 176 on the north, Crystal Lake Avenue on the south, Main Street on the east, and Walkup Avenue on the west. Much of the land was originally owned by Daniel Ellsworth and Simon S. Gates.

The villages of Crystal Lake and Nunda were each incorporated in 1874, and they were often at odds with each other. There was constant feuding with a steady stream of accusations being thrown each way.

Two projects united the villages with a common goal. These projects were both appropriately preceded with the